"August Gale" with Barbara Walsh

An award-winning journalist’s voyage into her family history and her quest to face the storms she encounters there.

A perfect event to lead up to St. Patrick's Day, as Maine author Barbara Walsh shares the story of her Irish ancestors, fishermen off of Newfoundland struggling to survive in a deadly hurricane, and the story of her journey with her father to seek out the story of his absentee father on the island. A story of faith and family, and forgiveness, not to be missed.

In August Gale, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist
Barbara Walsh—who has interviewed killers, bad cops, and crooked
politicians in the course of her career—faces the most challenging story
of her lifetime: asking her father about his childhood pain. In the
process, she takes us on two heartrending odysseys: one into a deadly
Newfoundland hurricane and the lives of schooner fishermen who relied on
God and the wind to carry them home; the other, into a squall stirred
by a man with many secrets: a grandfather who remained a mystery until
long after his death.

Sixty-eight years after the hurricane that claimed several of her
ancestors, Walsh searches for memories of the August gale and the
grandfather who abandoned her dad as a young boy. Together, she and her
father journey to Newfoundland to learn about the 1935 storm, and along
the way her dad begins to talk about the man he cannot forgive. As she
recreates the scenes of the violent hurricane and a small boy’s tender
past, she holds onto a hidden desire: to heal her father and redeem the
grandfather she has never met.

Sammy in the Sky:
A deeply affecting tale of love, loss, and remembrance told in clear-eyed prose by a top journalist and illustrated by a renowned American painter.
Sammy, the best hound dog in the whole wide world, loves his girl and she loves him. When illness cuts Sammy’s life short, the girl’s family keeps his spirit alive by celebrating his love of chasing wind-blown bubbles, keeping loyal guard at night, and offering his velvety fur for endless pats and tummy scratches. Painter Jamie Wyeth’s illustrations— infused with his realist style and lifelong fondness for dogs— radiate the joy and sadness of every tongue-licking, tail-wagging moment in this heartening and lovingly rendered story written by Pulitzer Prize—winning journalist Barbara Walsh.

Events

True Brew Cafe

True Brew Cafe, a branch of True Brew Barista, enjoys space in our bookstore. They serve delicious coffee, tea, sandwiches, crepes, and much more. Now also with beer and wine! Have a real bookstore cafe experience.

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Thursday, Feb. 12, 7 PMLove is in the air as eight (at least) New Hampshire writers join
us to read and celebrate their stories that have been collected in this
highly entertaining new book. Love Free or Die is the latest in Plaidswede Publishing's Pulp Fiction series. These
are all stories on classic New Hampshire themes, in settings all over
the state. Come join us for an evening of literature and fun!

Vivid and brimming with fascinating stories, Dead Wake is the full and unforgettable portrait of a vanished world on the brink of catastrophic war.

This event will be in the Concord High School Auditorium. Tickets are now available at the bookstore website.
For the price of the book, $28.00, you'll receive a signed book and a
ticket. Tickets without books are $5 each. If we do not sell out prior
to the event, tickets will also be available at the door.

Don't miss the non-fiction event of the season! Order your tickets today.

Every February, our book group meets for a discussion and dramatic
reading of a play by Shakespeare. This year we're doing Othello.
This meeting was originally planned for Monday, Feb. 2, but was
rescheduled due to snow. We hope for clear skies, easy driving, and any
tragic outcomes only on the page. All are welcome!

(Laurence Fishburne as Othello and Kenneth Branagh as Iago, in the 1995 movie.)